


The Spirit of Christmas

by 2threeabi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gen, I suck at tags, Lee Sooman is the father of all, Red Velvet, SM Family, Super Junior - Freeform, chaebol choi siwon and friends lol, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27739882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2threeabi/pseuds/2threeabi
Summary: Sehun looked at him, moving to stand up and dusting his trousers. "Oh, him? That's my friend. His name is Jongin and he will be celebrating Christmas with us from now on."Jongin felt some weird warm feeling in his chest when he heard that.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34
Collections: EXO on Ice Round 1





	The Spirit of Christmas

Sehun was putting his padded jacket on when he noticed that the lights from a cubicle a few meters away from where his was, was still on.

He frowned. As the youngest and newly hired professor of Korean history in one of the top universities in the country, he was normally the last one to go home. Sehun didn't mind. He kind of preferred it in some way. It actually gave him a reason to ignore his other faculty members.

With his jacket on and his backpack on his back, he knocked on the table to get his assistant's attention.

His assistant. Kim Jongin. He was a newly hired staff much like himself, getting hired in the university immediately after he graduated.

* * *

"What are you doing working for the university where you graduated from? Aren't you tired of going to school almost every day of your life?"

"Oh, I'm tired, professor. But a guy has to let ends meet, right?"

Sehun didn't ask further than that. It seemed like Jongin has his own story to tell, although he didn't seem quite ready to share it yet.

Jongin got quiet.

Sehun's eyebrows rose.

_ Curiouser and curiouser. _

* * *

"Oh shi- you scared me, profe-"

Sehun pointedly looked at the man seated, both his hands on top of his chest.

"-I mean Sehun. You scared me. I thought I was the last one out tonight."

Sehun insisted they speak to each other casually when others were not around, because it was kind of... awkward. They were almost the same age and yet, Jongin still talked to him in such a formal way.

"I thought I would be the last one to go home tonight," Sehun said, putting emphasis on himself. "Besides, it's Christmas. Don't you have somewhere to be tonight?"

"Oh, no. If it is about the test papers you have to mark, don't worry, I got them. I'll just put them on your table tomorrow morning-"

"What I'm asking about are you plans for tonight, Jongin. Come on, it's Christmas. Everyone celebrates Christmas. Even I celebrate Christmas."

Jongin looked at him and smiled awkwardly. "Uhm- I uh- well, I don't."

Sehun frowned.

_ Curiouser and curiouser.  _ "What? Why?"

"Oh, uhh my family died on Christmas. Car accident. Only I survived."  


* * *

_ They were seated at the backseat of the car with Jongin strapped on his seat with a new firetruck toy clasped in his hands. His older sister was picking something on the car floor. She dropped her new doll a few seconds ago. _

_ Still, she sang Christmas carols with him, on top of their lungs and their parents didn't mind. _

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me! A partridge in a pear tree~

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me! Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree~

On the third day of Christmas, my true love-

_ And then, there was a bright light, followed by a crash, lots of screaming and then finally a lot of pain. _

_ Jongin couldn't remember much after that. _

* * *

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Sehun suddenly felt awful. He would consider Jongin to be the closest to him since almost- if not all- of his co-faculty members were a huge pain in the ass. They were a bunch of stuck up old bats who badly needed to retire but wouldn't and he was grateful to have Jongin's company in the faculty room because of that.

That and because Jongin just has this aura around him that made him want to know more about the guy.

_ Curiouser and curiouser. _

"It's fine," Jongin dismissively replied. "I got used to it. It's no big deal."

Sehun frowned. It  _ is _ a big deal. Even he, a person who hated almost everyone around him, would think that it was.

And then suddenly, an epiphany came to him.

"No, you have a plan tonight."

It was Jongin's turn to frown. "No, I don't-"

Sehun smirked. "Oh, but yes, you do."

Jongin could've sworn he felt shivers running down his spine.

* * *

"Uh, Sehun? Where exactly are we?"

The professor parked his car a few meters away and insisted they walk from there to the place they were headed to. Wherever it was.

It was pitch dark, save from that bright light on top of what looked like a hill. Jongin thought the people who lived there must have set up a huge Christmas tree and decorated it with hundreds of little twinkling lights.

_ A few steps more, and he could hear children's laughter and voices singing Christmas carols. _

_ On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me! A partridge in a pear tree~ _

_ On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me! Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree~ _

_ On the third day of Christmas, my true love- _

Jongin stood rooted on the ground. He couldn't breathe. He could feel the large scar on his left thigh throbbing, and the back of his head burning in pain.

"Oh, Sehun!" a little girl excitedly exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Everyone, it's Sehun!"

A bunch of kids inside the church came barreling towards the young professor and he was thrown to the ground from the impact.

Jongin woke up from his frozen state. 

_ Oh no, oh no- _ "Kids, I don't think that's a great idea-"

He was stunned when a howl of laughter came from his companion. "Yeri, you grew up a bit from the last time I saw you! Seulgi, who did you hair? Was it you, Irene? Jisung, Jeno, Jaemin, come here!"

Jongin blinked once, twice even. Is this the same kind of an alternative universe? Is this the other Sehun? The kind one? Were they switched when they reached their destination? Was he going to die-

Don't get Jongin wrong, Sehun was nice. Kind, even. But only to those who have gotten into his good side. And the number of people who has gotten into Sehun's good side was, needless to say, not a lot. Also, he never pegged him to like children...

"Ah, Sehun-hyung," a boy called out, his sharp and handsome features still prominent even at a young age. "Who's that guy with you?"

Sehun looked at him, moving to stand up and dusting his trousers. "Oh, Jaehyun, him? That's my friend. His name is Jongin and he will be celebrating Christmas with us from now on."

Jongin felt some weird warm feeling in his chest when he heard that.

* * *

He had found out that this was an orphanage.

"This is my family," Sehun told him after he gave all of the gifts- Jongin didn't even notice the professor was carrying a huge bag with him- to the children a while ago.

"Family?"

"Yes. This is where I grew up."

* * *

They now sat in the dining hall with the children. It was huge, three long tables along side of each other and a huge Christmas tree was standing at the corner with different gifts under it and small figures of Santa Claus and his reindeer was perched on the table beside it.

The children varied in ages. Some were in their early teens, some younger than ten and some were in high school.

"Father Sooman has taken care of all of us. He's taken care of me since I got here," Sehun whispered to him while they were eating. The old man, Jongin found out he was the Father Sooman Sehun was talking about a while ago, with a kind smile on his face was sitting with the younger children. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even know where I would be now."

"He seemed nice," Jongin commented to keep the conversation going. He was liking the nice Sehun, the one outside the faculty room.

"He is. He is a father to us all. Along with the others who were like our older siblings."

"The others?"

Now, Jongin was just plain curious.

"I don't mean to brag but do you know Siwon Choi? I mean, well, of course you know Siwon Choi."

"The Siwon Choi? Our university director Siwon Choi? The chaebol Siwon Choi?"

Jongin was sure his eyes were bulging out of their sockets right now.

Sehun shrugged as he continued eating. "Yeah. His family attends this church and he became close to us because of that. He sponsors the orphanage and almost all of the kids here can attend school because of him and his family and his friends. He's really nice. And chill."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He's also the one who recommended me to the History department. But don't tell anyone. You know how those old bats are."

"Yeah, sure," Jongin meekly replied. He was screaming inside his head though.

_ Because this is about the Siwon Choi and his effing friends-! _

* * *

After dinner, everyone was excitedly arranging the tables and stacking the chairs up to make a makeshift dancefloor slash stage.

Sehun told him that everyone was going to perform something. This has been going on for a long time in the orphanage-a tradition of some sort, Jongin learned, and everyone spent a lot of time and effort in practicing their performances.

Some children danced, some performed a heartfelt albeit short skit and then it was finally the time for the final performance.

Sehun took his phone out and started recording.

"You don't want to miss this, Jongin," he said, eyes sparkling as he watched his younger siblings in front of them. "Father Sooman said they didn't even let anyone see their final performance. I'm excited."

Sehun was vibrating with happiness and all Jongin could do was stare at him. He had finally stopped questioning whether this Sehun was the alternate universe Sehun... he just kind of accepted that fact that snobby Sehun could be nice and kind and warm, too. 

"Oh hey, it's starting!"

The lights dimmed and the children started singing.

* * *

Jongin could feel tears in his eyes.

Ever since the day of the accident, he promised himself not to celebrate Christmas, not to sing or listen to any Christmas carols because it was unfair.

His parents and older sister were dead. It was unfair that he was enjoying his life, while they were lying six feet under the ground.

_ It was unfair. _

But then, right then and there, as Jongin watched and listened to the children sing, he could feel warmth enveloping his whole being, comforting him, telling him it's okay. That it wasn't his fault that he lived, it wasn't his fault that his family died.

All these years, he blamed himself for surviving and not dying together with everyone. But right now, all he felt was comfort and the warmth of a family. A feeling he thought he had forgotten a long time ago.

The feeling was like a huge wave, engulfing his whole being, pulling him downwards as tears fell down both of his eyes.

Jongin was crying, but he couldn't be happier.

* * *

"Sehun."

They were walking to Sehun's car after tucking everyone to bed. Everyone was tired, but all the children slept with smiles on their faces.

"Hm?"

"Next year... can I celebrate Christmas with you guys again next year?"

Sehun stopped in his tracks and stared at him, before a smile appeared on his face. "Of course. I already told the children about that. Besides, they'll be expecting gifts from you next year."

Jongin laughed before it turned into a small smile in his face. "Thank you."

"It's nothing. And well, I guess, you'll have plans every Christmas from now on."

Jongin sat inside the car, his seatbelt securely strapped around him. He nodded. He didn't even realize how big his smile was.

"Yeah, I guess so."

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii~ this is my first time joining a fic fest and also my first time posting a fic on this site. Please say hi and let's be friends~ :D


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